Export license compliance system (“ELCS”) using controlled communications

ABSTRACT

An internet based method and system for communicating terms and conditions of an issued export license to all parties (e.g., exporter, distributor, consignee) in a transaction. The system directs prescribed export related messages from the exporter to the parties. The messages include instructions to the recipients to take certain actions required by the export license terms, and directs those parties to report the results back to the exporter.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/640,222, filed Jan. 3, 2005.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an export license compliance system andmethod

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The United States controls the export and reexport of sensitive militaryand dual-use equipment and technology (dual-use items have applicationsin both the military and civilian sectors) using complex regulatory andlicensing regimes. Many other industrialized countries do likewise. Forexample, the U.S. controls the export and reexport of munitions itemsunder the International Trafficking in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and theexport and reexport of dual-use items under the Export AdministrationRegulations. Both regulatory schemes permit exports and reexports onlyin accordance with tightly defined licenses or license exceptions. Suchlicenses and license exceptions impose legal duties on all partiesinvolved in the transaction and often draw careful lines betweenpermissible and prohibited conduct with respect to particular foreigndestinations for exported items, as well as with respect to specificparties who may receive the items and the uses to which parties may putthe items.

Effective compliance with these regulations requires the U.S. exporterand, in some instances, the foreign recipients of U.S.-origin goods andtechnology, to communicate very specific information to one another in amanner that is accurate, timely, and confidential. These parties alsoneed to be alerted when one party fails to provide required informationto the others. The U.S. exporter normally would be the holder of theexport license; under both sets of regulations, the exporter/licenseholder bears primary responsibility for insuring compliance by the otherparties to the transaction. Violation of either set of regulations canresult in the imposition of civil and criminal fines, imprisonment ofindividuals, and denial of future export privileges—or all of the above.Actions by foreign parties who receive, reexport, sell, or useU.S.-origin goods and technology can result in similar penalties beingimposed against them as well as, in certain circumstances, against theU.S. exporter.

Currently U.S. exporters and foreign recipients of U.S.-origin itemsmust communicate with each other about their compliance with U.S. exportcontrols on an ad hoc basis by a variety of means, including email,facsimile, and hard copy letters. Such communications present thefollowing problems for the management of export control compliance: theyare not organized according to a shared set of logical principles; theydo not always accurately and completely answer each others' questions;they are not submitted in a timely manner; and they are not stored in acommon, centralized system of records for future retrieval and auditing.Consequently, these communications may result in one or more parties tothe transaction committing violations of the Export AdministrationRegulations (“EAR”) (15 CFR Chapter VII, Subchapter C) or theInternational Traffic in Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) (22 CFR Parts 120through 130). The Export License Compliance System that is the subjectof this patent application is designed to solve these problems.

Moreover, there is no U.S. regulatory requirement that exporters mustadopt a means of complying with the export control laws. Indeed, anexporter can legally refrain from using any management techniques; iflucky, the exporter will not commit a violation of the regulations. Mostcompanies, however, use *some sort of management control to ensurecompliance. Yet the compliance schemes vary widely, due to differencesin the technologies exported and the geographic markets served. Probablythe most widely recognized and influential study of export compliance isthe “Nunn-Wolfowitz Task Force Report: Industry “Best Practices”Regarding Export Compliance Programs,” which was published Jul. 25, 2000(“Nunn-Wolfowitz Report”). This “blue ribbon” task force wascommissioned by the Board of Directors of Hughes Electronics Corporationto make recommendations concerning any changes in Hughes' operations andprocedures that may be necessary or desirable to ensure that thecorporation has in place a “best practices” standard for complying withthe letter and spirit of U.S. export control law and regulations. A copyof the Nunn-Wolfowitz Report is attached. This Report also can be foundat: www.kslaw.com/library/pdf7nuriiiwolfowitz.pdf).

A review of the Nunn-Wolfowitz Report shows that this comprehensive andthoughtful analysis, which was prepared by a prestigious group ofexperts, issues than the subject matter of the Export License ComplianceSystem as set forth herein. They offer services designed to helpexporters screen potential customers to detect parties whose exportprivileges have been denied or restricted by the U.S. Government;classify items to be exported to determine whether they fall withintechnical parameters that indicate an export license would be required;and prepare documents required to effect shipments and to submit reportsto the U.S. Government for statistical and regulatory purposes. But noneof these companies offer the particular service of ensuring compliancewith the terms and conditions of export licenses that could be obtainedusing the subject of this patent application.

For example, the company Vastera, Inc., which is probably the largestand best known company in the marketplace for export compliance managedservices, states on its website Cwww.vastera.com), that it offers thefollowing services in the area of export compliance: classification,screening, document preparation, drafting procedures and instructions,government reporting requirements, compliance training, and audit andinternal reviews. In the category of “document preparation”, Vasteraemphasizes the preparation of the bills of lading, and other shippingdocuments. In the category of “government reporting requirements”,Vastera emphasizes the preparation of the Shippers Export Declaration orits equivalent document in the Automated Export System, both of whichare required by law to be submitted to the U.S. Government in connectionwith exports. However, unlike the present invention, Vastera does notoffer a particular electronic service that is designed specifically formanaging compliance with particular export licenses.

Another managed services company in the marketplace is Open Harbor,Inc., which states on its website Cwww.openharbor.com), that it offersservices such as: restricted party screening, embargo screening, C-TPATparticipant screening, security questionnaire, shipment security audit,workflow management, product compliance screening, licensedetermination, product catalog, classification tools, landed costs, andglobal trade documents. However, unlike the present invention, OpenHarbor does not offer a particular electronic service that is designedspecifically for managing compliance with particular export licenses.

Companies such as Vastera and Open Harbor provide general purposeservices designed to assist companies in complying with the EAR and ITARwith respect to a broad range of export transactions. The scope ofcompliance services offered by these companies includes exporttransactions that do not require a license under the EAR or ITAR, aswell as transactions that do require export licenses under thoseregulatory systems. These compliance services also are intended to beused at all stages of business transactions, ranging from screeninginitial inquiries received from potential purchases, through pro form aquotations of prices, to completion of shipping documentation. However,unlike the present invention, these companies do not provide discreteelectronic systems designed to manage compliance with the terms andconditions of specific export licenses that have been issued by theGovernment prior to export.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The above-noted deficiencies are overcome by the present invention. Thepresent invention, hereinafter referred to as the Export LicenseCompliance System (ELCS) is an internet-based system that: (1) preciselycommunicates the terms and conditions of an issued export license to allparties to the transaction; directs prescribed messages from the U.S.exporter to appropriate parties instructing them to take certain actionsrequired by the license, and directs them to report the results of theiractions back to the U.S. exporter and other designated parties.

The ELCS also reports to the U.S. exporter in the event that anotherparty has missed a deadline or failed to perform a required action andcaptures all documentation required by the license, as well as therecords of who performed what actions and when they performed thoseactions.

The documentation and recordation features of the ELCS provide the datafor the U.S. exporter and any other parties designated by the exporterto conduct instant compliance status checks for particular licenses aswell as scheduled routine audits for a defined set of licenses. Thesedata are organized according to systematic principles; depending on howthese principles are defined and on the legal jurisdiction involved,these data are authenticated and admitted into evidence in courts ifnecessary.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other advantages and features of the invention willbecome more apparent from the detailed description of exemplaryembodiments provided below with reference to the accompanying drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating the export license compliance systemwebsite created by the Exporter;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the website of FIG. 1 as used by theDistributor; and

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the website of FIG. 1 as implemented by theUltimate Consignee (US/I).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The ELCS can operate as a stand-alone computer-based system or it can beused in conjunction with local or wide area computer networks, such as,for example, a company's intranet communications system. The ELCS alsocan be used in connection with other general purpose export compliancesystems such as those employed by Vastera and Open Harbor, which arediscussed above.

However, if the ELCS is used in the context of a corporate wide areanetwork or “intranet”, or in conjunction with products provided bymanaged export compliance services firms such as Vastera and OpenHarbor, nonetheless the ELCS will retain its essential features. Thosefeatures include, but are not limited to: (1) use of a common Web Room;(2) directed communications, using timers and reminders, which arecontrolled by the Web Room Administrator according to the requirementsspecified by the U.S. Exporter; (3) restricted access to the Web Room;and (4) recordkeeping functions to preserve the communications posted tothe Web Room along with their dates, times, and authors.

That the ELCS is compatible with other export compliance systems doesnot render the ELCS generic. It only means that the ELCS is a discrete,well-defined system for tightly controlled communications. It does notreplace such other systems of communication.

Moreover, the ELCS is not the same as a mere set of e-mailcommunications that are concerned with a common topic, such as a “chatroom”. The difference is that the ELCS contains strict rules governingthe admission of the parties to the system of communication, what can becommunicated, and when it must be communicated. A simple set of emailcommunications about a common topic, such as a “chat room,” issignificantly different from the ELCS because, among other reasons,discussions in chat rooms can and often do deviate from the main topic,omit key data, and any party who knows the web address can join in onthe discussion or commentary.

Computer Hardware and Software Required

The ELCS is designed to operate on standard, off-the-shelf computerequipment and platform and communications as other infrastructuralsoftware in order to facilitate usage of the system internationally. Assuch, it would include the following equipment and software to functionefficiently.

Hardware.

All parties to the ELCS would require personal computers or other logicdevices, such as PDA's, including but not limited to devices operatingon at least Intel Pentium 5 or equivalent microprocessors such as the G3Mac OS X-compatible microprocessors, or their functional equivalents.All computers would have to have modems or other network connectionssufficient as is commonly known or used to maintain reliable access tothe Internet, such as 14.4 Kbps or greater. The computers would have tohave sufficient memory, such as 450 Mb or greater, to store and retrievePDF files using common software such as Adobe Acrobat version 4 or theequivalent.

Software.

All parties would require software operating systems including but notlimited to Windows NT, Mac OS X version 10 or the equivalent. Allparties would require word processing software such as Microsoft Word orthe equivalent. The parties also would require software sufficient tosupport email communications with a variety of other users of theInternet.

Web Room Administrator.

The Web Room Administrator would require hardware and softwaresufficient to operate the Web Room effectively. Specifically, theAdministrator would require routers and modems capable of accepting andsending PDF files and email to a variety of parties and supportingsimultaneous access to the Web Room for numerous parties. TheAdministrator would require sufficient memory storage capability tostore and readily retrieve moderate amounts of data in the form of emailand PDF files, and to manage a regular backup storage function for thedata posted to the Web Room for permanent data storage. TheAdministrator would require software enabling it to organizecommunications in chronological order with associated links to theidentities of the parties and the PDF files posted to the Web Room bythe parties. The Administrator also would require the capability tohandle commercial, internationally available encryption for allcommunications to and from the Web Room.

In one embodiment, the Export License Compliance System (ELCS) wouldwork as follows. Flow chart illustrations of how the ELCS process wouldwork are attached at FIGS. 1-3.

U.S. Exporter (E) applies for and is granted an export license to exportWidgets to its exclusive distributor (D) located in another country,such as Germany (FIG. 2). D is also referred to as an IntermediateConsignee under the export control regulations. The export licenseauthorizes Distributor D to sell and reexport the Widgets to D'scustomers, also known as Ultimate Consignees (UC's), located in othercountries, such as Italy, Poland, and Turkey (referred to as UC/I, UC/P,and UC/T, respectively). In this example of the embodiment the licenseis valid for 2 years and allows exports of, up to $10 million ofWidgets. The Widgets are classified in terms of technical performanceparameters established by the U.S. Government, so that only Widgetsperforming within certain limitations may be exported under the license.

In the ELCS, the export license can contain numerous specificconditions, or provisos, which create legal responsibilities for some orall of the parties to the licensed transaction. In this example, thelicense contains the following conditions:

The items authorized for export are not to be used in any of thesensitive nuclear activities described in Part 744.2 of the ExportAdministration Regulations.

Applicant/exporter must inform consignee of all license conditions.

No resale, transfer, or reexport of the items listed on this license isauthorized without prior authorization by the U.S. Government.

The applicant and consignee must keep records of all transactions underthis license, including the name and address of each customer, and date.(See Part 782 of the EAR for additional information.)

The applicant must obtain from the ultimate consignee/end-user a writtencommunication, acknowledging and accepting all license terms andconditions, and confirming that the items will not be used to developWeapons of Mass Destruction or their means of delivery. This documentshould be available to U.S. Government officials upon request.

In FIG. 1, Exporter E creates, directly through connection 10 or througha service provider, a website 20 on the Internet (hereinafter referredto as the “Web Room” or WR). At 2, E imposes restrictions on access tothis Web Room, using encryption of data and authorized password access,so that only a person who receives an encryption key and password from Emay have access to the information posted on the Web Room 20. Eauthorizes Distributor D to have access to all information posted on theWeb Room. E authorizes Ultimate Consignees UC/I, UC/P, and UC/T to havelimited access to information posted on the Web Room 20. All UC's haveaccess to certain information, such as the validity period for theexport license and the specific license conditions that all parties mustfollow. However, other information is restricted in order to protectbusiness confidential information; for example, UC/I is allowed to seeonly the information concerning the particular Widgets that are to beshipped to UC/I, but UC/I is denied access to information concerning theWidgets that are to be shipped to UC/P and UC/T. This restriction isnecessary in order to insure that exporter E and distributor D canpreserve the confidentiality of their sales, marketing, and distributionprogram.

At 4, the Web Room notifies each party via email whenever any newinformation pertaining to them is posted on the Web Room. The Web Room20 also provides a Bulletin Board feature which any party to thetransaction can use to ask and answer particular questions about thetransactions, or about issues concerning compliance with the regulationsand the terms of sale and distribution.

The Web Room also contains an entry log which records everycommunication or posting made to the Web Room by any party (6). Theentry log records the date and time each communication or posting wasmade, and who made it.

The Web Room 20 notifies Exporter E through communication channel 10 whohas complete administrative access rights to all data submitted to theWeb Room by any party, by means of an email message whenever any partyhas submitted data to the Web Room (6). The Web Room is programmed by Eto record deadlines for activities to be completed by any party. The WebRoom is also programmed to notify E and/or any designated party by emailin the event that someone has failed to meet a deadline (3).

Exporter E posts to its Web Room at least the following information:

(a) License Number (1); (b) Validity Period of license; (c) Dollar valueof exports authorized, decremented per shipment; (d) Number anddescription of Widgets; (e) Export Commodity Control Number; (f)Harmonized Tariff System Number; (g) Shipping information (date ofshipment from the U.S.; Forwarder and Carrier; route of shipment;estimated arrival at Distributor; bill of lading number; etc.) (5); (h)License terms and specific license conditions; and (i) E also posts tothe Web Room a complete file (using any format for the file, e.g., PDF,RTF, etc.) of the license and its conditions.

FIG. 2 shows what information the Web Room 20 provides to Distributor Das well as what information D submits 24 to the Web Room 20. In thisexample, D posts to the Web Room 20 at least the following information:

(a) Date of receipt of shipment of Widgets (28, 23); (b) Confirmation ofquantity and condition of Widgets; (c) Confirmation of understanding andcompliance 22 with any applicable license terms and conditions; (d) dateof reexport 26 of Widgets to Ultimate Consignee (e.g., UC/I); and (e) Dalso posts to the Web Room a file containing the complete set of import25, 29 and export documents 27 showing movement of the Widgets into andout of Germany as well as end user certification 210.

FIG. 3 shows what information the web room 20 provides to UltimateConsignee I as well as what information UC/I submits to the Web Room. Inthis example, UC/I posts to the Web Room 20 at least the followinginformation:

(a) Date of receipt of shipment of Widgets from distributor D; (b)Confirmation of quantity and condition of Widgets; (c) Confirmation ofunderstanding and compliance with any applicable license terms andconditions (31); (d) Copy of End-Use Certification (37) (if required bya license condition) which is signed (this can be a file showing animage of a signed document, a text version of the document, or acertificate bearing an electronic signature as authorized by theregulations); (e) If required, UC/I can post other information (36) tothe Web Room 20 to confirm that the end-user and end-use are legitimate,such as: for example, photographs of the equipment after it has beeninstalled; and reports by engineers or technicians following servicingthe equipment; and (f) UC/I also posts to the Web Room a file containingthe complete set of import documents for Italy (36), as well as therequired acceptance of the license's terms (31, 32) and conditions andthe statement that the Widgets will not be used to develop Weapons ofMass Destruction or their means of delivery.

Exporter E installs automatic alerts in the Web Room 20 that willgenerate an email notice to it at a specified time in the event that theother parties fail to post required information on the Web Room (FIG. 1,element 3). For example, exporter E specifies that the Web Room 20provide it with an alert if distributor D does not post a notificationconfirming D's receipt of the Widgets within 3 days of their export fromthe U.S. This example enables exporter E to contact the forwarder orcarrier to track the shipment and determine what was the cause for thedelay in delivery to distributor D. As another example, exporter Especifies that the Web Room 20 provide it and distributor D with alertsif UC/I failed to post a required End-Use Certificate on the Web Roomwithin 5 days of UC/I's receipt of the Widgets.

If exporter E uses an automated system to produce export, import, andshipping documents, the ELCS will accept designated data elements fromthese documents automatically in order to help provide a seamlesselectronic shipping and export regulation compliance system.

Exporter E uses the information posted on the Web Room as data to beexamined during routine audits undertaken to insure that E is conductingits business in compliance with corporate policy and all applicableexport control regulations. In some instances, exporter E will provideaccess to the Web Room to investigative or licensing officials of theU.S. Government who are conducting investigations or audits concerningthe underlying business transactions.

Management and Regulatory Results Produced by the ELCS

Use of the ELCS achieves the following results: Exporter E controls theexport and reexport process with precision to insure compliance with theregulations by all parties. All parties to the transaction receive andacknowledge receipt of the terms and specific conditions of the exportlicense. All parties know when the Widgets are shipped, when they areexpected to arrive at their destination, and where the Widgets arelocated in the distribution network. The parties also receive automaticalerts concerning shipping delays. This has the ancillary affect ofreducing delays and risks of loss of the goods due to shipping errors ortransportation failures, as well as due to theft of the items that mightoccur during transit or temporary storage at warehouses and docks. Allparties have access to a common record-keeping system that is maintainedaccording to the level of competence established by the exporter.Internal compliance audits are facilitated. Investigations and audits bythe U.S. Government are facilitated.

Other Embodiments

ELCS can be used as a general reminder system. For example, Exporter E,distributor D, and the three UC's are involved in the export andreexport of Gizmos, which require an export license to certain countriesbut may be exported under a license exception to certain othercountries. They use the ELCS to insure that all parties know when theymust obtain a license for a particular product and destination, and whenthey do not.

As another example, U.S. company E hires a foreign national from thePeople's Republic of China (FN/PRC) to work on the development of a hightechnology item in the U.S. Under the export regulations, the transferof certain technical information in the U.S. to FN/PRC which requires anexport license. U.S. company E uses the ELCS to manage compliance withthe terms and conditions of its export license concerning the employmentactivities of FN/PRC. For example, E is required to restrict the accessof FN/PRC to specifically delimited research projects, and is requiredto restrict FN/PRC's access to certain buildings and laboratories bymeans of coded badges. In this example, the ELCS is used by substitutingprojects or buildings for the UC's, and by substituting a corporatecompliance officer for the distributor D.

Additional levels of resellers are created in the ELCS. For example, inthe original scenario involving exporter E, distributor D, and ultimateconsignees UC/I, UC/P, and UC/f, each UC have, in turn, numerouscustomers within its respective country. Thus, UC/I posts to the WebRoom 20 required information about its local purchasers, and thoseItalian purchasers post information about their situations, such astheir address, longitude and latitude, date they began using theequipment, and their End-Use Certificates.

Additional parties are granted access to the Web Room 20 for specificpurposes. For example, third party providers of services for themaintenance, repair, upgrade, or replacement of parts are granted accessin order to (a) be made aware of restrictions imposed by the license;and (b) provide reports to the UC, D, and E concerning the currentstatus and use of the equipment.

Having described specific preferred embodiments of the invention withreference to the accompanying drawing, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that variouschanges and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in theart without departing from the scope or the spirit of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:
 1. A computerized system for export licensecompliance, comprising: a computer for receiving and for sending exportrelated information; a website configured to receive, store, and postlicense information from at least one exporter that is licensed toexport an item, the license information including at least informationon the validity period of the license, to receive, store, and postdistributor information from at least one distributor that receives theitem from the exporter and is authorized by the license to sell theitem, the distributor information including at least a date of re-exportof the item, and to receive, store, and post consignee information fromat least one consignee that is a customer of the at least onedistributor, the consignee information including at least a date ofreceipt of a shipment from the distributor; a notifier that provides tothe website a first specified time period for receiving the distributorinformation and a second specified time period for receiving theconsignee information, wherein the website is configured toautomatically transmit notifications to at least one of the exporter andthe distributor in the event the distributor fails to post the date ofre-export of the item to the website before the first specified timeperiod elapses, and the website is configured to automatically transmitnotifications to at least one of the exporter and the consignee in theevent the consignee fails to post the date of receipt of the shipmentfrom the distributor before the second specified time period elapses;and a log contained on the website for providing to the exporter thetimes and dates that consignee information and distributor informationwas posted to the website by the at least one consignee and the at leastone distributor.
 2. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein accessto the website is restricted to authorized users having user types, theuser types including exporter, distributor, and consignee user types,and wherein exporter, distributor, and consignee user types each havespecifically tailored access.
 3. The computerized system of claim 1, thewebsite further comprising an information exchange apparatus where theat least one exporter, distributor, and consignee may use the website torequest export related information from another of the at least oneexporter, distributor, and consignee, and the other exporter,distributor, or consignee may use the website to respond to the exportrelated information request.
 4. The computerized system of claim 1,further comprising an automatic alert system configured to instruct amicroprocessor acting in conjunction with logic device memory to informthe exporters, distributors, and consignees of pertinent posted andun-posted export related information by e-mail through a networkconnection.
 5. The computerized system of claim 1 wherein the licenseinformation further comprises at least one of: a number and descriptionof an export item, an export commodity control number, a harmonizedtariff system number, shipping information, license terms andconditions, and a complete copy of an export license and its conditions.6. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the distributorinformation further includes at least one of: a date of receipt ofshipment, a confirmation of quantity and condition, a confirmation ofunderstanding and compliance with applicable license terms andconditions, a complete copy of import and export documents, and an enduser certification.
 7. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein theconsignee information further includes at least one of: a confirmationof quantity and condition of a product, a confirmation of understandingand compliance with applicable license terms and conditions, a copy of asigned end-use certification, information to verify end-user and end-uselegitimacy, a complete copy of import documents, an acceptance of thelicense terms and conditions, and a statement that the product will notbe used to develop Weapons of Mass Destruction or their means ofdelivery.
 8. A non-transitory computer readable storage mediumcontaining a program configured to generate an export license compliancesystem, the program comprising: a module for instructing amicroprocessor acting in conjunction with logic device memory togenerate a website through a network connection, wherein the website isconfigured to receive, store, and post license information from at leastone exporter that is licensed to export an item to a country, thelicense information including at least information on the validityperiod of the license, receive store, and post distributor informationfrom at least one distributor that receives the item from the exporterand is authorized by the license to sell the item, the distributorlicense information including at least a date of re-export of the item,and to receive, store, and post consignee information from at least oneconsignee that is a customer of the at least one distributor, theconsignee information including at least a date of receipt of a shipmentfrom the distributor; a website configuring module for providing a firstdeadline for receiving the date of re-export of the item and a seconddeadline for receiving the date of receipt of the shipment from thedistributor and for automatically notifying the distributor of the firstdeadline and automatically notifying the consignee of the seconddeadline, through the network connection; a website notifying moduleprogrammed to automatically notify the at least one exporter,distributor, and consignee of posted distributor information andconsignee information relevant to their respective export role, toautomatically notify at least one of the exporter and the distributor ifthe distributor fails to post the date of re-export of the item by thefirst deadline, and to automatically notify at least one of the exporterand the consignee if the consignee fails to post the date of receipt ofthe shipment by the second deadline; and a logging module for loggingdates and times of website-information posted through the networkconnection.
 9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium ofclaim 8, wherein access to the website is restricted to authorized usershaving user types, the user types including exporter, distributor, andconsignee user types, and wherein exporter, distributor, and consigneeuser types each have specifically tailored access.
 10. Thenon-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, the programfurther comprising a website information exchange module where the atleast one exporter, distributor, and consignee may use the website torequest export related information from another of said at least oneexporter, distributor, and consignee, and the other exporter,distributor, or consignee may use the website to respond to the exportrelated information request.
 11. The non-transitory computer readablestorage medium of claim 8, the program further comprising a module forproviding an automatic alert system that instructs a microprocessoracting in conjunction with logic device memory to inform the exporters,distributors, and consignees of pertinent posted and un-posted exportrelated information by e-mail through a network connection.
 12. Thenon-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein thelicense information further comprises at least one of: a number anddescription of an export item, an export commodity control number, aharmonized tariff system number, shipping information, license terms andconditions, and a complete copy of an export license and its conditions.13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8,wherein the distributor information further comprises at least one of: adate of receipt of shipment, a confirmation of quantity and condition, aconfirmation of understanding and compliance with applicable licenseterms and conditions, a complete copy of import and export documents,and an end user certification.
 14. The non-transitory computer readablestorage medium of claim 8, wherein the consignee information furthercomprises at least one of: a confirmation of quantity and condition of aproduct, a confirmation of understanding and compliance with applicablelicense terms and conditions, a copy of a signed end-use certification,information to verify end-user and end-use legitimacy, a complete copyof import documents, an acceptance of the license terms and conditions,and a statement that the product will not be used to develop Weapons ofMass Destruction or their means of delivery.
 15. The computerized systemof claim 1, wherein the distributor information further includes aconfirmation of understanding and compliance with applicable licenseterms and conditions, and wherein the website is configured toautomatically transmit notifications to the exporter in the event thedistributor fails to post the confirmation by a specified thirddeadline.
 16. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the consigneeinformation further includes a confirmation of understanding andcompliance with applicable license terms and conditions, and wherein thewebsite is configured automatically transmit notifications to theexporter in the event the consignee fails to post the confirmation by aspecified third deadline.
 17. The non-transitory computer readablestorage medium of claim 8, wherein the distributor information furthercomprises a confirmation of understanding and compliance with applicablelicense terms and conditions, and wherein the website notifying moduleis configured to automatically notify the exporter if the distributorfails to post the confirmation by a specified third deadline.
 18. Thenon-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein theconsignee information further comprises a confirmation of understandingand compliance with applicable license terms and conditions, and whereinthe website notifying module is configured to automatically notify theexporter if the consignee fails to post the confirmation by a specifiedthird deadline.